Something Entirely Different
by Just A Starving Writer
Summary: [SK: COMPLETE][Edited] How difficult can it be to kill one young miko? Apparently very for this irritated demon lord. Killing someone, that's simple. But keeping them dead...that's something entirely different.
1. A curious inability

**Something Entirely Different  
**_Just A Starving Writer_

**_Disclaimer_**: nope, not mine.  
**_Author's Note: _**I'll blame my muse on this. That bitch is still drunk on schnapps. If you are expecting something light and fluffy, you'll be disappointed. This is, while not dark, a bit strange, though it still retains a happy ending. I wrote this during a storm of literary madness, typing it within a day. When I started, I had no earthly idea what was going to happen because my muse, the bitch that she is, happens to enjoy keeping me in the dark.  
Anyways, you can try it out if you want, but please, no flames. Despite previous praise, my ego is still too weak to stand up to overly brutal attacks. There's nothing you can say to change the story anyways, so what's the point of regaling me with how much you utterly hated it?  
Enjoy if you can.

**_Updated 10.13.04_**: Edited and broken into 4 parts for easier reading.

* * *

**Part 1: A curious inability**  
  
He supposed that he should not be surprised to see her standing there aiming her bow so defiantly at him from behind his half-brother. He should have seen it coming, really, considering how difficult the girl had been to kill before. Always something kept her from dying, whether it be Tessaiga in his father's body or Inuyasha every other time. Still he was shocked to find her still breathing, perhaps because he distinctly remembered killing her exactly a week before.

In planning this excursion to retrieve his father's sword, he had expected to find the hanyou distraught over the loss of his precious miko. Upon striking her down that day he found her wandering alone in the forest, he knew that the death could be used for his advantage seeing as she clearly meant something to the half-breed. But now there before him was his brother, as irate as ever, and the girl trembling despite her courageous attempts to shoot him.

It was bothersome really. His memory had not failed him, the girl had been dead. He'd watched as her blood pooled into the leaves beneath her body and smirked in pleasure. It had been entirely too easy, but it had never occurred to him that she may have lived through the ordeal. That was plausible, he supposed, but still, a week after such a major injury, she shouldn't be able to stand there, glaring at him. Something was nagging him at the back of his mind, whispering that something was seriously amiss, but he ignored it and decided he had simply underestimated her strength. This time he would take glee in watching her die and she would not come back. She had defied him by living and she would pay with her life.

A quick battle ensued and the hanyou was struck down, bleeding profusely through several large wounds. He would probably survive, if his demon blood was strong enough, but it would have killed a human several times over. Speaking of which, he proceeded to bat away the miko's irritating arrows and approach the girl, intent on thoroughly killing her this time. When she was finally out of arrows, he sped up and instantly held her tiny neck in his remaining hand.

"You are alive." The phrase was both a statement and a demand for explanation.

"Yeah, what of it?" the girl squeaked. Apparently it hadn't occurred to her that he was itching to finish off the job he had started last week.

"Die."

With a flick of his wrist and a tightening of his wrist, the girl's precious neck snapped and crushed, her life instantly draining out, her defiant eyes instantly becoming dull. Smirking, he dropped her lifeless body to the ground and turned his attention back to the hanyou who was recovering quickly and gaining righteous anger over his human's death.

"Sesshoumaru!" he shouted inanely while charging the demon lord, sword raised dramatically.

The battle began anew, the hanyou relying on his distress to fuel his muscles and the youkai thoroughly pleased that he was able to incite such emotion in his brother. Hatred and anger practically flowed off the half-breed.

Striking down the hanyou, he pulled his sword back for the final blow. In just a few short seconds Tessaiga would be his. A sudden intense pain in his arm halted the assault. Stopping in his tracks, he stared at the glowing arrow protruding from his forearm. Surely it couldn't be...

Turning his gaze to the downed miko, his eyes widened further. There, where there should rightly be a body growing colder, was the girl, perfectly fine and preparing another arrow she had gathered.

He wasted no time in killing her again. However, this time he watched her, intent on being positive that the girl was completely, entirely dead. Once more, the blood pooled beneath her as she faded from existence. She was most certainly dead, just as she should be. There was absolutely no way the girl could ever be brought back, with the exception of his Tenseiga, which, of course, he would never waste on such a human.

Turning his attention back to his struggling half brother, he prepared the killing blow once more. The blade swept down and flesh was easily sliced in half. However, upon closer inspection, the sword never reached the hanyou. Instead, spread over the still breathing body was the girl, most definitely dead this time, having stopped his blade from its target by inserting herself in its way.

As much as the hanyou yelled at him for retribution, there was no way the demon lord could leave now. This would be the third time he had killed the girl in as many minutes. If she came to life once more, he would know something was terribly wrong. Sure enough, right when he was certain she would never rise again, an odd green glow surrounded her body and time seemed to rewind for her. Watching with unveiled awe, he witnessed the blood he had spilt pouring back into her tiny body, the wounds he had created closing, and the breath he had stolen returning to her. In the space of a few seconds, she was alive and perfectly fine.

"Hey! You tried to kill me!"

"I did not try, wench."

Deciding that further information was necessary before he continued this sport, the demon lord turned and walked away, leaving a miko screaming her indignities and a brutally injured hanyou in his wake.

Kagome couldn't believe what had happened. The arrogant demon lord had just walked away, leaving them when they were completely vulnerable. In fact, Inuyasha had just left the realm of the conscious.

'Why didn't he kill us? He tried to, he wanted to, but he didn't. It just doesn't make any sense,' she wondered briefly before she pushed the thought aside to tend Inuyasha's wounds.

Luckily, before she had to resort on strength she didn't possess, the monk and demon slayer entered the battlefield, returning from their errand.

"Kagome! What happened?" Sango yelled while running to her fallen comrades.

"Sesshoumaru." That one word explained everything. Immediately, the hanyou was being lifted onto the fire cat's back to be taken to Kaede's village for healing. Along the way, the young miko filled in her companions on the details of the battle. However, they immediately noticed some strange gaps in her story.

"Kagome, you say Sesshoumaru rushed at you and the next thing you remember, you were waking up on the ground?" the monk asked seriously.

"Yeah, it was the weirdest feeling. Like being dragged out of an icy cold river or something. But I was perfectly fine and kept attacking to think of it, he did seem a bit surprised," the miko responded thoughtfully with a finger on her chin.

They returned to the village without incident and soon the hanyou had been tended, though he had yet to regain consciousness. In the meantime, everyone could only wait, hoping some of the seeming mysteries of the fight would be simply solved by the half-breed's perspective. A few long hours later, their patience was rewarded.

"KAGOME!" Inuyasha yelled as he bolted up into a sitting position, hands frantically searching for his sword.

"Inuyasha, I'm right here," the young miko said calmly while laying a comforting hand on his forearm. Instantly, she found herself in his arms as he hugged the hell out of her. She began blushing profusely.

"But...but you were dead...again..." he mumbled into her hair.

"I'm not dead, I'm right here," she whispered. Really it was all she could do as the hanyou was squeezing the breath right out of her. Seeming to realize the truth of her words, and seeing her growing breathlessness, he released her and settled for putting his hands firmly on her shoulders, looking her over with a worried eye.

"No, Kagome, you died. A lot."

"What do you mean, Inuyasha?" the monk questioned, obviously curious at this latest declaration of Kagome's health.

"The battle...I couldn't stop him. First, he snapped her neck, but she got right back up and saved me by shooting the bastard." He turned his eyes onto girl in question. "Then he killed you again, with Tokijin, but you got up again and threw yourself in front of me when he was going to finish me off...He killed you three times, Kagome."

"I'm sure you saw wrong. I'm perfectly fine. I think I would remember if I had died, let alone died three times." Her brow was creased with her confusion. The hanyou shook her shoulders none too gently, trying to shake out the answer to this deadly riddle.

"NO! You were dead! I saw it! I felt it! Dammit, Kagome! You were on top of me the last time! I felt your blood! You were dead!"

"Calm down, Inuyasha. There is no point in hurting Kagome now that she is alive and well. Calm down and we will figure this out," Kaede said admonishingly while she prepared the evening meal. The hanyou released the girl's shoulders reluctantly and watched as she took her seat against the wall.

"I just don't understand," the young miko stated as the fox child took up his position in her lap.

"What words did you share with Sesshoumaru before he left, Kagome?" enquired the monk from against the other wall.

"I yelled something like 'you tried to kill me' and he said, 'I didn't try.'"

"Interesting."

"What are you saying, monk?" Inuyasha questioned harshly.

"Just that it seems your brother and yourself are in agreement about something. From his words, I gather he was under the impression Kagome was dead as well."

With a huff of annoyance, the irate hanyou laid back on the pallet, his facial features scrunched in obvious confusion.

"You know what?" Kagome said thoughtfully after a long awkward silence.

"What?" Sango asked quietly.

"I didn't tell you this before because I thought it didn't matter...but I think it does now."

"Please tell us," the monk pushed.

"About a week ago...that day I came back from my visit home? Well, I decided to go for a walk in the woods before returning to the village. I...I kinda ran into Sesshoumaru there." She was clearly embarrassed that she had been so utterly careless.

"WHAT??" the entire room, with the exception of Kaede who seemed to have expected as much, yelled.

"I don't really remember what happened. I was walking, suddenly he was there, I was about to scream for help and then I woke up on the ground and he was gone."

The entire room was silent.

"This is weird," Shippou stated rightly breaking the tension in the air.

"You know," began the hanyou hesitantly. "That would explain why the bastard looked so surprised when he first showed up. I bet he thought you were dead."

"So, maybe what happened today happened a week ago?" the demon slayer asked.

"It appears so," Kaede answered. "I do not understand why, but it seems the demon lord is incapable of killing ye, Kagome."

If anything, Kagome grew paler. How exactly do you take the knowledge that you had been killed several times already?

"If my mind recalls, he has never been capable of killing ye. Is that true?"

"Well, yeah, kinda. I mean, Tessaiga protected me that first time. He hasn't really come close since..."

"It is as I expected. Perhaps it was not the sword that protected ye. Perhaps it was something entirely different."

That sent the room into thoughtful silence once more. Everyone pondered this latest turn of events, trying to discover the truth of the matter, but failing terribly. They could only hope they solved the mystery before the demon lord did. Otherwise, their friend would be killed, and stay dead, for sure.


	2. Conversations with the dead

**Something Entirely Different  
**_Just A Starving Writer_

**_Disclaimer_**: nope, not mine.

**Part 2: Conversations with the dead**

Upon arriving in the Feudal Era, Kagome immediately knew something was amiss. Still, she pushed the feeling aside and hauled herself out of the well to find no Inuyasha waiting for her. Huffing with annoyance and deciding he was merely late, she plopped down on the edge of the well, content to wait.

However, waiting quickly became an issue when that nagging unease in the back of her mind pushed itself to the forefront. Shivering from a nonexistent breeze, she started to look around nervously while preparing her bow.

"Who is there?!" she yelled into the silent forest, hoping her voice sounded stronger and more forceful than she felt.

A sudden wind picked up and before she was even aware what had happened, she found herself on the ground, the wood planks of the well biting into her back. Regaining her bearings, she tried to focus on the ground in front of her.

"What happened?" she asked groggily with slight irritation to no one in particular.

"You died," answered a familiar cold voice. Turning her eyes, she followed the booted feet at her head up to the still, pale face of her attacker. The position was all too uncomfortable to keep eye contact and so she turned onto her back and stared unerringly into his frosted eyes.

"You killed me again?" He merely nodded. Strange how the knowledge of his inability to do away with her changed her entire perspective of the demon. She was relaxed in his presence, almost amused with the annoyance she sensed beyond his veiled eyes.

"Yet you live," he stated coldly. If he was shocked, he hid it well.

"Yeah, I noticed." Her lack of fear of him, added to her insolence, was an irresistible call to kill her and he did just that. However, once again, she refused to stay dead. Her torn throat reassembled itself and her eyes blinked at him.

"Again?" she asked incredulously. A hard, slightly aggravated gaze was her answer.

"Are you done now?" she continued. His eyes became harder. When she woke a few moments later he was still there, still staring relentlessly down at her.

"That's really annoying, you know," she said admonishingly.

"Then stay dead."

"That seems to be beyond my power. Sorry."

"Hn." With that he turned and walked away. Standing up, she stared after him.

"Wait!" she yelled haphazardly. He stopped but did not turn to her. "Do you know why?"

He stood there silently before resuming his steady pace.

"No, but I will. Then you will stay dead."

Leaning against the well, she said nothing and merely stared as the stoic lord walked into the dark forest. A few minutes later, a red blur signaled the arrival of the hanyou.

"Where is he?" he asked while drawing his sword.

"He left."

"The coward."

"He did it again."

"Again? He killed you?"

"Yup," she stated with a soft sigh.

"How the hell are you so calm?" he asked incredulously.

She met his eyes and grinned brightly.

"Because I'm still alive."

* * *

The visits were always random, always without warning, and always involved some sort of death for the poor girl. It grew increasingly annoying. One moment she would be gathering firewood, the next watching him walk away from her position on the ground. One moment she was walking back from the well, the next he was standing over her, meeting her eyes emotionlessly. She experienced death in so many ways, quickly, slowly, through poison, sword, claw, and brute strength. And always, without fail, she came back.

After a few weeks of the odd torture, she started one sided conversations with the demon lord. He never spoke back, merely walked away or stared intensely, but she found speaking a wonderful way to break the tension she felt upon waking.

"That's 62 times, you know," Kagome stated one day upon waking by the spring after her bath. She had just finished dressing when a cold wind swept by her and she woke, back to the ground, feet lying in the cool water, demon lord standing over her with cold eyes.

"You'd think you'd grow tired of this." Seriously, she was growing tired of it.

"I mean, nothing ever changes, does it? I still live no matter what you do." She sighed to signal her irritation. He said nothing and walked away.

"Why?" she asked one day when she woke to find the herbs she was gathering strewn around her wildly and the familiar demon lord regarding her coolly.

"Is this just some weird hobby of yours or what?" Nothing.

"What did I do to you to deserve this?" He blinked. At least that was something. She smiled brightly.

"If you wanted revenge over the 'arrow incidents', you've gotten it." Nothing. Her smile faded slightly to a determined grin.

"Please stop this." She didn't mean for it to sound like a plea but it did. He said nothing.

"Please," she repeated softly.

The tears were streaming down her face before she even knew she was crying. She closed her eyes in a sad attempt to stop, but upon reopening them, the demon was gone and she was alone. That thought made the tears return full force and she sobbed until Sango found her and soothed her quietly.

"I wonder," she said curiously one day as she watched the demon lord walk away from her position strewn over a boulder.

"I wonder if it works both ways. I wonder if I can kill you." The lord stopped but began again after a short pause. Apparently he hadn't given the matter any thought.

Of course, then she was intensely curious. Curiosity became determination. She wanted, no, she needed to do something, to have more of a part in this. Though she was more than certain his death would have the same result as hers, there was still doubt and it bothered her. Eventually, she was able to dislodge that unease and worked out ways to kill the demon lord.

Finally, the day came when she got her chance. She woke propped against the well as he walked across the clearing away from her. Silently but quickly preparing an arrow, she shot the bastard. The arrow pierced his back perfectly and he went to his knees. With a mix of hesitation, worry, and glee, she ran to him, next arrow ready. He regarded her coolly, even as she looked down at him from behind the bow.

"Feel this."

Shooting the arrow above his armor and straight into his heart, she watched in stunned, guilty awe as the proud lord tilted and fell to one side, dead.

Kneeling beside his still form, she finally had the opportunity to observe him carefully. Taking in all his features, her eyes then went to the arrows. Suddenly, he was surrounded in a green glow and the arrows dissolved into fine dust. The little blood that had spilt was sucked back into the wounds which then proceeded to close.

His eyes snapped open and he stared at her, surprise clearly written on his usually stoic face.

"How'd it feel?" she asked curiously, sitting beside him, laying her bow down within easy reach.

"Strange." She wasn't expecting a response, but Kagome supposed that was an adequate description.

"Yup," she responded, happiness springing lightly back into her eyes.

He surprised her by rolling onto his back, knees up, a relaxed position and completely unsuited to the lord.

"Do it again," he commanded quietly.

"What?" she questioned as the smile faded slightly.

"Kill me."

"Whatever for?" she asked incredulously.

"It was...interesting."

"I don't want to," she stated while shaking her head defiantly.

"Do it."

"No." Hands found their ways to her hips as she adopted the universal gesture of a woman determined to have her way.

She woke a few minutes later on her back, him in the same position as before she died. She copied his posture and the two lay there, staring at the blue sky in silence.

"Why." It was less of a question and more a demand.

"Why don't I kill you?" she asked quietly, a grin finding its way once again to her lips.

"Yes."

"I don't like to kill," she stated plainly as if that should be entirely obvious to all.

"But you do."

"When I have to."

"Kill me."

"No."

He was silent and she shifted on the ground. They lie there quietly for a while longer but soon he rose and departed, walking regally back into the forest as she watched. She stayed on the ground after he had disappeared and didn't get up until the sun began to sink into the horizon.

When she gained her feet, she noticed something where the demon had lain. Kneeling and picking it up, she found it to be a dagger, silver and unadorned. The black sheath shined dully in the failing light. She could only guess its purpose. Sliding it into the waistband of her skirt and tugging her top over the hilt, she proceeded onward to the village with a silly, slightly comforted smile plastered to her face.

She told no one about the dagger or the most recent encounter with the demon lord.

* * *

"Have ye thought anymore of Sesshoumaru?" Kaede questioned her one day as they took a break from another successful shard hunt.

"A bit," Kagome answered truthfully, suppressing the grin that usually accompanied her thoughts of the demon lord's fruitless attempts to kill her.

"Have ye discovered anything?"

"Just that I can't kill him either." She couldn't help it. She smiled brightly.

Everyone immediately stopped their various tasks and looked at her.

"You've killed him?" Inuyasha asked incredulously.

"Once. But he came back. It was amazing, really." She remembered the green glow illuminating the pale features of the lord and the arrows dissolving into nothingness. She remembered the startled look on his face when he woke. Her eyes softened. It really was amazing.

"What the hell! Are you enjoying this?" Inuyasha fumed as he stood and stomped the few steps to stand over her.

"No, I'm not. But it's still amazing. Completely amazing." Her grin turned almost wistful as she remembered the lord's commands to kill him again. The hanyou eyed her critically before he turned and left the room in an angry huff.

The others said nothing.

* * *

After the incident with the arrows, he visited more often, choosing instead of killing her immediately more physical means, seeking as it were to force her to kill him.

She adamantly refused, though she was not reluctant to fight back. The dagger remained at her side, always sheathed, never drawing blood.

Kagome knew he was growing impatient, but there was nothing she could do about it. Even knowing that he would not stay dead, she was reluctant to kill him. She could only smile defiantly and deny him.

One day she found herself stuck to the ground, his knees pinning her arms while his only hand insistently pushed her neck into the soft grass. Still, she was not scared.

"Why?" she asked instead, reading his face and finding his hesitation. The thought brought a grin to her face.

"Because you won't," he answered cryptically. He then did the last thing she expected. Releasing her neck, he rolled off her and lay beside her, shoulders touching.

They rested there silently for a good space of time before his arm reached across her body and grasped the hidden hilt of the dagger.

"Hey!" she said indignantly as he drew the blade and lifted it to his eyes for inspection. He regarded it coolly for a few moments before suddenly jamming in into her body. When she woke, he was gone, leaving only a soft imprint in the grass beside her. The dagger was back in the sheath at her waist. She dimly felt the phantom tickles where his hand had strayed on her cheek. A fit of giggles made her roll around on the ground before she finally regained her bearings and returned to camp.

The scene replayed itself constantly, with various changes. He would sneak up on her, she would struggle but quickly be overcome, he would stop, they would rest, then he would leave. Some days no killing happened at all. Other days, it seemed he couldn't get enough. Still, they only grew more comfortable in each others' presence. It was entirely strange, these meetings they had.

Eventually she became aware that the time it required to heal was becoming shorter with each attempt. Some of his efforts were entirely wasted as she would heal before death could even claim her. The other benefit was her growing strength in hand to hand combat. Her pointless struggles against the demon lord were gaining her insight into the world of fighting and she could feel her muscles hardening into something new. As well, her repeated trips to the afterworld were steadily changing her personality as well. Little things ceased to matter and she found it impossible not to smile at Life.

"It used to bother me whenever Inuyasha would talk about Kikyou," she told the quiet demon lord one day after their most recent bout of death. "But it doesn't now. It's strange." She turned onto her side and laid her head on her outstretched arm, quietly taking in the details of the lord at her side. He seemed to ignore her and her grinning observation.

Time stretched on in that moment and eventually he left, leaving the girl there to watch him depart without having said a word. She stayed, rolling over into his vacated spot and reveling in the warmth that it had retained from his body.

"Kagome," a voice startled her out of her reverie. From the shadows of the wood came the monk, his features a perfect image of friendly concern.

"Miroku?" He said nothing as he approached and sat beside her outstretched body.

"You saw, didn't you," she stated calmly without meeting his eyes.

"Yes."

"How strange is life?" she pondered quietly, a happy expression on her expressive face.

"Very, it seems."

They sat in relative silence.

"You have changed," he said thoughtfully, finally turning his gaze away from the heavens and onto her.

"Yes. I have." Her smile broadened.

"Because of him."

"Yes, I believe so." They didn't speak the rest of the night, merely examined the stars in friendly contentment.


	3. Denial of death

**Something Entirely Different  
**_Just A Starving Writer_

**_Disclaimer_**: nope, not mine.

**Part 3: Denial of Death**

The next day dawned brightly and the shard hunters resumed their journey. The contemplative miko lagged behind, solely inhabiting the rear of their progression. When it came time to stop for lunch, a sudden revelation was made. The girl from the future was missing. Backtracking, they soon found a clue to her disappearance.

"Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha stated furiously. As if it wasn't bad enough that the bastard regularly visited the miko, he was now apparently kidnapping her.

The miko, however, was perfectly fine. So caught up in her mind was she that she failed to notice her companions disappear behind a bend in the road. Stopping suddenly in awareness, she discovered she was not alone. Standing behind her in all his glory was the demon lord she had grown acquainted with.

"Come," he commanded coolly. Turning into the bordering forest, he disappeared and she was compelled to follow him. Once clear of the road, she found herself on his shoulder, traveling at an impossible speed through a green blur.

She tensed and closed her eyes, fighting the nausea that naturally came from moving so fast. Eventually she instinctively felt the world stop moving. The ground beneath her feet was incredibly welcome. Opening her eyes, she saw they were in a small grove and he had already seated himself at the base of a large tree. Plopping to the ground in front of him, she studied him curiously.

"What now?" she questioned.

"We talk."

"About?"

"Kill me."

"No." Her defiance only seemed to be amplified by the broad smile that graced her features.

"Why?"

"I don't want to," she exclaimed with a fake pout.

"Why?"

She paused in consideration. Finally she found words.

"You've killed me 237 times. Do you like to watch me die?"

"At first."

"And now?"

"To watch you live."

She was silent in the face of this declaration. Thinking back, she recalled easily the green glow that had illuminated her companion's pale features and how happy she had been when he opened his golden eyes.

"That is why I don't want to kill you," she stated cryptically, her grin confusing him further.

"Explain."

"If one of these times I stay dead, you have the power to bring me back, if you so choose." She paused. "I don't have that power. If you stay dead, I cannot bring you back."

He stared at her, features unreadable.

"I won't risk you dying for real." Her statement was as truthful as it was strange, but she couldn't stop. "I want to watch you live."

Kagome laughed. She couldn't help it. The situation was so strange. After her mirth had somewhat abated, she smiled brightly at her host.

He silently contemplated her for a long time and she merely sat and studied the surroundings grinning. After awhile, she rose and drank from the nearby spring before splashing the cool water on her face. His eyes followed her through the task.

Before long, seeing as the demon lord had no intentions of leaving, she stretched onto the soft grass and fell into a peaceful slumber. He never ceased his watching. Noticing her descent into unconsciousness, he approached her still form. She was such an interesting creature, smiling in the face of death. Even back before she knew of the strange bond they shared, she had been brave before him. And now, knowing that she wished him no harm, he couldn't help but wonder what her dreams entailed, what thoughts progressed behind that determinedly bright smile.

His fingers were absently stroking her cheek before he even realized what he was doing. At first he was content to continue the action, allowing himself to revel in the soft pliancy of her skin. However, he was more than shocked when her sleeping body turned into his caress.

Not quite sure what to make of the situation, he left. After all, the grove was safe and Inuyasha was bound to locate the girl eventually. He tried to tell himself he was merely leaving to seek more information concerning his inability to kill the odd miko, but he knew he was lying to himself. He was running, running away from the girl. Running away because she had surprised him yet again by simply making him feel. Fear was not something he dealt well with, considering how rare he felt it. But it plagued him now. He feared what he would do if he stayed beside her, what next strange action she would compel him to do.

* * *

Kagome was laughing again.

"What is it this time, wench?" Inuyasha asked with annoyance.

"Nothing..it's nothing."

He looked at her suspiciously as her eyes danced merrily. Ever since finding her at that grove the week before she had been in an unusually good mood. It was almost sickening really. And what was worse, she had been with his brother again. How could that sick bastard make her so happy? It just didn't make any sense.

Before he could retort, a familiar sensation came and after smelling the air, he growled lowly. Reaching for his sword, he pushed Kagome behind him.

"What is it?" she questioned, her mirth dying to a soft cheerfulness.

"Sesshoumaru," he said furiously. She relaxed and he noticed with increasing anger.

"Just because he can't kill YOU doesn't mean he can't kill the rest of us, you know!" he criticized her. She merely shook her head and grinned.

"Then I'll just have to distract him," she said lightly, pushing him aside and stepping before the group protectively. Before long, their would-be attacker walked up.

"Back for another round?" she questioned flippantly. He smirked. It was one of the first blatant signs of emotion she had seen from him in quite awhile and she smiled brighter.

"Apparently," he spoke coolly. Without preamble, he was upon her and she jumped at the invitation. The shard hunters stood in shock. Inuyasha was the first to wake and moved to stop the altercation, but Miroku held him back.

"Let me go, damn monk!"

"Inuyasha, stop. They cannot hurt each other. Let her deal with this matter," the monk said reproachfully. The hanyou didn't like it, but knowing Kagome couldn't die at his brother's hands was enough to make him relax slightly and resign himself to watching the fight.

This, he found, was quite the sight. Though she was nothing but a fly in the face of the youkai lord, she was holding her own. If anything, the demon was allowing her to get in a few shots.

The hunters watched the scene in awe until they saw their friend pinned to the ground, her opponent crouched over her, hand clasped to her neck. Still, the girl was not frightened. Instead, she was practically glowing from excitement. However surprising that matter was, the next action prompted the strong demon slayer to positively faint and the hanyou to yell in indignation.

The demon lord slid his hand from its dangerous position on her neck to cradle her head and bring her up to meet his face. Lowering his nose to her hair, he took a deep breath before resting his forehead on hers. The smile had been wiped clean off the girl's face, replaced by wonder and shock. Touching his nose to hers, he then carefully lowered her head to the ground before rising and leaving without a word.

The stunned miko stayed on the ground before slowly gaining her feet and staring after the demon.

"Hey!" she cried in righteous anger. Running after him, she grabbed hold of his arm and yanked until he turned to face her.

"You can't just do whatever it was you just did and leave!"

He remained silent, but somehow managed to disengage her hand from his arm.

"What was that?" she questioned with a huff, her hands forming fists at her sides. He brought his hand lightly to her cheek before letting it slide off and turning once more to walk away. Kagome, shocked from the content feeling of the caress, quickly became angry once more when he ignored her calls for answers. Finally, before she was quite aware of what she was doing, her hand found its way to his cheek in a loud slap. Sango, who had just regained consciousness from her faint, was hard pressed to stay on her feet.

The demon lord merely regarded her with cool interest before turning and walking away once again. That just about broke the miko. Drawing the dagger from its hidden place beneath her shirt, she ran after him and plunged it deep into his back. Stepping away as he fell to the ground, tears streamed down her face as she realized just what she had done. Luckily enough for her, the green glow returned and pushed the dagger from its place. He rolled over onto his back as she ran to his side.

"I'm so sorry," she sobbed while happy tears ran down her cheeks. Lifting his weary hand to her face, he wiped under her eyes, flicking the tears away. She merely cried more at the gesture and flung herself to his chest, barely avoiding impaling herself on his armor.

"What the hell..." Inuyasha muttered as he helplessly watched the strange scene.

As for the recently revived demon lord with his back to the ground and a sobbing miko on top of him...well, he seemed dumbstruck for a few minutes before finally lifting his hand and imbedding it into the girl's hair. Soon the girl's sorrow and joy had abated and she realized her position. Cheeks burning with embarrassment, she hopped up and averted her eyes. The lord simply rose to his feet, dusted himself off, and walked away as if nothing had happened.

Returning to the unwelcome scandalized faces of her comrades, Kagome could only paste a fake grin on her face and, wringing her hands together fiercely, stumble about to make lunch.

As she was readying the fire for a pot of water, the hanyou approached, holding her discarded dagger.

"What's this?" he asked, suspicion lacing his tone.

"A dagger," she responded cryptically while retrieving the dagger and returning it to the scabbard in her waistband, all without meeting his accusing gaze.

"I know it's a dagger, stupid. Where did you get it?"

"Eh...I found it?" she answered while the silly grin threatened to fail her.

"Hmph," he mumbled while stalking away in obvious irritation. Her shoulders slumped in relief. The other hunters avoided mentioning the encounter until camp that night.

"Kagome, it seems you are getting along well with Sesshoumaru," Miroku began, his intentions questionable as she spotted that lecherous sparkle in his eyes.

"It's not like that," she mumbled as her cheeks brightened.

"Then what is it like?" the hanyou attacked.

"Like I know," she yelled in annoyance. If he wasn't accusing of her impure actions with Kouga, he was making assumptions regarding her strange relationship with his brother. Truly, the hanyou needed to think things out before talking.

"What exactly are you accusing me of anyways?" she questioned as her temper flared. His ears immediately fell back as he squirmed away from her in obvious fear of being sat. However, he was one statement too late.

"OH, you jerk! Osuwari!" A dull thud eased her anger a bit and she was calm enough to resume her seat on the log before the fire.

"But really, Kagome, you have to admit something odd is happening between you two," Sango continued with concern.

"I don't know what's going on!" the miko insisted as she crossed her arms defiantly. "He's never done that before! At least, not while I'm alive..."

"Does he still kill you?" Miroku asked curiously.

"Sometimes," she admitted. "But he's all but stopped. Now he merely attacks me then either leaves or lies down with me for awhile."

"What do you mean?" Sango asked, shock clearly written on her face.

"He'll stop right before killing me, roll over and we'll just watch the sky for awhile. Then he'll leave as if nothing happened."

"What the HELL!" the hanyou yelled as he finally picked himself off the ground.

"This is so weird," the fox child stated from the security of the miko's arms. Everyone nodded in agreement.


	4. To watch you live

**Something Entirely Different  
**_Just A Starving Writer_

**_Disclaimer_**: nope, not mine.

**Part 4: To watch you live**

Kagome had no visits from the cold demon lord for a month and it bothered her to no end. After his questionable actions the last time, she was itching to discover just what was going on in his mind. However, his lack of appearance proved a problem in her quest for knowledge. She struggled between a feeling of loss and anger at his continued absence.

Finally, on a cloudy day right after a hasty lunch, the shard hunters came across the lord sitting languidly at the base of a tree. The irate miko immediately stalked up to his relaxed figure and stared at him accusatory.

"Hey!" she yelled, her previous feeling of loss forgotten for the moment, replaced by indignant anger.

The youkai merely slightly inclined his head and looked at her without expression.

"Where have you been?" she asked harshly. Something indescribable flickered across his eyes before being hidden once more. He looked down again and she crouched to look into his eyes.

"You bastard! You can't do this! What the hell is wrong with you?!" she insisted before he fluidly struck out. When she came to, she was lying on the cold ground, him still reclining against the tree.

"You arrogant jerk!" she screamed while punching him in the shoulder. He barely moved under the force of her assault but still managed to somehow kill her again. With a green glow, she came to suddenly.

"WOULD YOU STOP THAT!" She was answered with another strike. When the darkness receded, she sat up and glared at him furiously.

"Stop. Killing. Me," she said behind gritted teeth. The shard hunters could only look on with dumb expressions, not quite sure what to think.

The girl suddenly sprang onto the youkai lord, intent upon strangling the lack of expression right off his face but she only died on top of him. While her body recovered, he pinned her to the ground, waiting stoically for her to live again. When her eyes opened, he was ready.

"STOP DOING THAT!" she spat into his pale face as he regarded her coolly.

"If you wish to die again, continue." His threat calmed her somewhat, but she was still simmering in anger.

"Then tell me, explain to me, why you've been gone for a month," she said quietly, trying without success to force all the hurt anger out of her voice.

He was silent as his eyes wandered across her features. Anger was replaced by embarrassment as the miko felt the demon on top of her staring quite intently at her lips.

"I can find no reason for this inability," he stated quietly without breaking his gaze at her mouth. "I have discovered nothing concerning this...bond." She could only stare at him in wonder. He was, if anything, more unreadable than ever.

"Yet this bond exists," he said while he slid his hand from her throat and onto her chin, his thumb tracing the line of her lower lip. He lifted his gaze to her eyes and suddenly she understood perfectly what was going on in the mind of the youkai.

"You...you're scared?" she breathed silently. He grimaced slightly but did nothing to refute the claim. Instantly Kagome relaxed her body under his hold and softened her features.

"There's nothing to be scared of," she said comfortingly as he stared at her intently, his features still coldly unreadable to the remainder of the shard hunters who wondered what exactly the girl was seeing in him.

"You know nothing," he stated frigidly, his face practically freezing, his slack expression replaced by something much harsher. He disengaged himself from her and began to walk away. It took a full minute before Kagome realized he had left and jumped to her feet.

"But..." she began as she grabbed his hand. Without stopping, he killed her. She fell with a dull thud to the ground.

However, this time, something seemed slightly different. He could not feel the reassuring power of the green light and she didn't get up to scold him for the senseless action. Glancing back, he stopped in his tracks. The girl was dead, and appeared to be perfectly content to remain dead. Sudden fear crossed his face as he leapt the few steps and crouched beside her blood soaked figure.

When it became abundantly clear the girl was not going to return to life by nature of whatever magic had kept her alive before, he reached for one of the swords at his hip and pulled it out, willing it to respond. After a few dozen futile attempts, he cast the sword aside in anger, resorting to pulling the deceased miko to rest on his leg while his usually inexpressive face was a perfect picture of pain.

"Kagome?" enquired a terrified fox child, tears pouring freely down his cheeks.

Drawing the body carefully into his arm, he suddenly leapt upward, away from the shard hunters, carrying the miko with him. He traveled as quickly as he could, away west into his own lands before finally landing in a courtyard and opening a screen into a massive bedroom. He immediately set the still cold body on an expansive futon before taking a seat beside it, grasping her lifeless hand hard enough to wound it with his claws.

Time drew on and still the miko remained dead. Laying down in defeat, he sighed and stared at the tiny hand before bringing it to his lips. When he opened his eyes, he was nearly blinded by the familiar green light as life poured back into the still girl. Finally, with one large gasp for air, she threw herself into a sitting position and looked around frantically. Turning crazed eyes onto his surprised face, she began trembling. He pulled her into his lap and rested his chin on her head as her tears were soaked up by the white silk of his clothing.

"I was so scared," she gasped while grasping onto the top of his armor as if he would leave her if she didn't hold on with all her might. He responded with a reassuring hand in her hair. Before long, she lifted a tear stained face to his.

"Don't do that again, okay?" she pleaded to his veiled countenance. She was shocked when his warm lips were suddenly pressed insistently to hers. After a minute to realize what was going on, she responded by deepening the kiss and securing her hands around his neck. They seemed intent on proving her life through the embrace. Soon, however, the strain from the day caught up to her and she pulled back and leaned wearily on the lord.

Right before sleep finally overtook Kagome as she was nestled in the arm of her partner, he spoke his first words since killing her.

"Never again. Never die again." She smiled at the soft command and slipped into blissful dreamless sleep.

* * *

When she woke the next morning, she felt completely relaxed. The events of the day before seemed like a strange dream and she had a hard time believing what her mind told her had happened. However, upon realizing that she was alone in a field of red flowers, she came to the conclusion that not only had everything happened, but her dubious partner was completely insane. She couldn't stop the pained feeling that invaded her entire being. Her heart felt as if she had been abandoned. 

"THE BASTARD!" she screamed in frustration.

After a few hours that consisted of her screaming every obscenity she could think of at the absent demon who she considered had so thoroughly used her, she was found by her companions who were very enthusiastic about her life. A happy, tear filled reunion ensued but the hanyou seemed hesitant to join in the festivities. He kept eyeing the miko with suspicion. Once everyone had settled down and began to set up camp in the flower filled field, he took Kagome aside.

"What did he do to you?" Inuyasha asked critically, keeping his eyes locked on hers.

He expected indignation. He expected anger. He expected to be sat. He didn't expect her to fling herself into his arms and sob painfully. Her entire body shook with her heartbreak, and though he still wasn't sure just what his half-brother had done to his friend, he was positive the bastard would face his wrath once they met again. After comforting the girl as best as he could, he led her back to camp and settled her into her sleeping bag without any further questions. He would say nothing to the others, who took his silence as a sign that their friend was more troubled than she had let on.

It was a long strained week before they came across the demon lord again. They were looking for a spot to camp for the night when his ethereal figure appeared before them on the road. Inuyasha wasted no time and immediately stalked furiously up to the lord and punched him square in the eye. The youkai barely flinched and stood still, ignoring the yelling hanyou. He only turned his eyes when the miko of his interest came up and pushed the half-breed out of the way before thoroughly assaulting him. He still did not move, only stared at her blankly as she continued to beat her fists upon his chest, tears pouring from her strangely blue eyes.

"YOU BASTARD!" she yelled, fury and heartache fighting for dominance in her voice as she continued her pointless attack. "How could you?! You left me, how could you?!" Her voice cracked and she broke into sobs, as her hands lost their angry energy and fell limply to his chest. He wrapped his arm around her, pinning her against him and waited for her to calm.

"Just kill me now, please," she insisted once she had regained some of her faculties. He remained silent.

"Please, dammit, please, I can't live like this," she pleaded.

"No."

"Why the hell not!"

He lowered his face into her hair and pulled her closer.

"I won't risk you dying for good," he stated blankly.

"But why!" she sobbed as her tears returned in full force. He did not respond.

"How can you just kiss and run all the time?!" she whispered angrily as she weakly hit his chest.

"WHAT ARE YOU SO AFRAID OF?!" she screamed in abject agony. Her knees failed her and she sank to the ground. The demon lord went with her, keeping hold of her even as he fell to his knees.

"Do you think I won't love you back?" she questioned through a sob. "Because it's too late for that. I don't know when or how or why I fell in love with your arrogant ass but I did and now I'm stuck with you." Her friends could only look on with something akin to horror at that declaration.

"Tell me, please," she pleaded as she looked up at him, trying to lock her eyes on his. "Tell me why you want me to live. Please, tell me..."

He stared at her and tightened his grip on the sobbing girl but otherwise remained silent. The spectators wondered just what emotions were running through his mind at that moment, as he was doing a good job of not making them known.

"Tell me or I'll leave," she threatened through tearfully frustrated hurt. Her hands clenched around the edges of his armor, tight enough to whiten her knuckles with the effort. Pain persisted in her gaze as she stared relentlessly into the lord's veiled eyes seeking some form of resolution. He held her closer.

"TELL ME!" she screamed in emotional agony and the lord flinched. In that second, his mask broke and the pain that had been straining beneath the surface was viewable to all. Suddenly the shard hunters understood what their miko friend knew.

"Tell her, brother," Inuyasha said forcefully, as the situation, and the possible consequences, became achingly clear. "You are a lying fool if you deny it, but keeping silent will only push her away as well."

The demon lord with his failing façade looked over to his brother and read the pained remembrance in his eyes.

"Don't make the same mistake," the hanyou said through gritted teeth. "Tell her. Now."

The proud youkai turned his gaze back onto the girl in his arms and suddenly released her. She clung to his chest in defiance of his rejection but her sobs echoed loudly through the lands. Throwing herself from him, she landed on the ground with a dull thud and curled into a ball, seeking solace through the childlike form. Her spectators were grief stricken, not least of all the offending party who stared at her shaking form with wide eyes that betrayed his determined act of carelessness.

"I want to watch you live." The words were spoken quietly but everyone heard them through the sobs of the miko. Without warning, the stricken girl was once more in the arm of the demon lord, pleading with tear stained eyes for truth.

"I want to watch you live," he repeated, trying without success to push the emotion from his voice.

Kagome brightened and the change was astonishing. The words were not the best, perhaps, but it was something. It was a start and quite a large one considering the trial she had before her, embodied in the demon who had refused to acknowledge himself for so long. She pushed herself up and kissed him, terribly glad that he could admit that much, tremendously happy that she wouldn't have to leave him.

After a moment of stunned silence, he tightened his grip and kissed her back, completely reveling in the act and her radiating happiness that so thoroughly engulfed him. The spectators turned their backs on the touching scene.

"I would never have expected this," Miroku stated later that evening by the campfire. Their group had one current addition, but he seemed slightly preoccupied with watching the miko prepare dinner and was ignoring the monk.

"Who could have expected so much death to bring new life?" the fox child asked sagely.

"Perhaps you are right, Shippou. Perhaps it isn't as unusual as it seems. But that doesn't make it any less unexpected." The two males nodded in agreement, their eyes turning to the slightly more relaxed demon lord that was accepting a bowl of ramen from the brightly smiling miko without taking his gaze from her shining face.

"I would never have expected," the monk began again. "I would never expect something that started off as a desire to kill would become something....entirely different."

* * *

**_Author's Rant:_** Well, that was that one. Recently I've been in an editing mood, so there. Also, this gives me a chance to finally thank my readers and reviews of the past, present, and future. Mucho love to all of you. I appreciate the support.  
Also, just to comment, I actually wrote a tiny little sequel to this piece by popular demand. However, I'm not exactly fond of it as it is my most hated of things: not all that original. Muses be damned! Perhaps if anyone is interested, I might post it, but if I do, there will be a long apology at the beginning. I dunno. I tend to be over critical, or so they say. Tell me what you think. 


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